Crash Course
Instructions and Programs: Crash Course Computer Science #8
Scholars receive instruction on writing instructions as they learn how to develop computer programs in the eighth video of the series. Animations show how computers carry out these instructions and programs.
Deep Look
Can A Thousand Tiny Swarming Robots Outsmart Nature?
Kilobots, made from only $15 worth of parts, work together to achieve a group goal. The video explains how with a few simple lines of programming, these tiny robots tackle tasks in much the same way animals or cells have for centuries....
PBS
Turning Food Waste Into a Resource
One in every seven truckloads of perishable foods delivered to grocery stores gets thrown away. Is there anything that can be done with this waste? One solution is to recycle the old produce and turn it into fertilizer. The video, part...
PBS
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Narrators of a short video offer their rationale for why Catch 22 should be included in the Great American Read program. They touch on the key themes in Heller's satirical and sobering novel about Captain John Yossarian and the catch-22s...
PBS
The Catcher in the Rye and First-Person Narrative
Testimonials for The Catcher in the Rye demonstrate the power of J.D. Salinger's story of a young man who wants to protect innocent children from the phonies in the adult world. Part of the Great American Read series, speakers urge...
PBS
George R.R. Martin Discusses Lord of the Rings
George R.R. Martin, famous in his own right for heroes, villains, dragons, and direwolves, offers his rationale for why viewers should vote for J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings with its elves, wizards, and hobbits as part of the Great...
PBS
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Created for the Great American Read series, a short video encourages viewers to vote for Invisible Man. Musician Wynton Marsalis and Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, among others, share their rationale for why Ralph Ellison's...
PBS
What Are the Effects of Opioid Addiction on Young People?
Are schools doing enough to address the opioid crisis in America? One school, Hope Academy in Indianapolis, focuses its entire curriculum on recovery from substance abuse. A nine-minute video from PBS documents the school's efforts to...
PBS
One Hundred Years of Solitude | The Great American Read
One Hundred Years of Solitude introduces readers to magic realism. Told in a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Nobel Prize-winning novel is a candidate for The Great American Read program and aficionados...
PBS
The Pain of History and Beloved
Readers of Toni Morrison's Beloved share their reasons for why the painful and powerful narrative should be on the list of books for the Great American Read program.
PBS
The Importance of Chicano Representation in Bless Me, Ultima
The best books either enable readers to see themselves, their culture, and their way of life reflected in the story or to gain an understanding of a way of life different from their own. Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima is such a book....
PBS
Joseph Heller's Hilarious Catch-22
Comedian Seth Meyers shares his rationale for why Catch 22 should get viewers to vote for inclusion of Joseph Heller's satire in the Great American Read program.
PBS
Heroes and Hope in Frank Herbert's Dune
Wil Wheaton shares his rationale for why readers should vote for Frank Herbert's Dune as their choice for the Great American Read program. His talk touches on the major themes of the novel and its central conflicts.
PBS
Frankenstein | The Great American Read
A top vote-getter for the Great American Read program is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Find out why the classic tale, adapted into over 50 films and numerous TV shows, has earned its spot on the favorites list.
PBS
Gulliver's Travels | The Great American Read
Neil deGrasse Tyson shares his rationale for why Gulliver's Travels was his favorite book as a child and still is as an adult. He urges viewers to vote to include Swift's satire in The Great American Read program.
Physics Girl
What Do Programmers Actually Do?
So you want to be a programmer, huh? An episode from a comprehensive series about physics describes what it's like to be a software programmer. The narrator interviews actual programmers to dispel myths about the profession.
PBS
Death Dive to Saturn — Saturn’s Dynamic Rings
Explore the rings of Saturn! Space scholars discover the immense Saturn system through an interactive lesson. The activity, part of PBS's Space series for grades six through eight, features images captured by the Cassini spacecraft of...
PBS
Flatworms: The First Hunter
Flatworms evolved and developed the first bilateral body plan. These hermaphroditic animals with no circulatory system star in an informative video. Scholars learn about flatworms' place in the evolutionary tree, how they hunted, and...
PBS
Groundhog Day | All About the Holidays
Discover the history of Groundhog Day with a captivating video that details how the holiday came to be and spotlights the key role Punxsutawney Phil plays in the celebration.
PBS
And Then There Were None
Justice and murder are the heart of the best mysteries. The writers interviewed for this episode of the Great American Read try to convince viewers that the best of this genre is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
Be Smart
Asteroids, Meteors, Comets… and the End of the World?
Dinosaurs owe their destiny to an asteroid. What are the chances humans will meet the same fate? A fascinating video lesson considers the probability of an asteroid colliding with the earth while taking into account variations in...
Be Smart
Why is the Sky Any Color?
Skin, the toughest part of the body, provides each person with multiple layers of protection from the outside world. Assist young scientists as they view the video segment and learn the differences in melanin production, leading to...
Be Smart
What Do Raindrops Really Look Like?
Raindrops are more like pancakes than teardrops. Scholars learn the physics behind the shape of a falling raindrop in a video lesson presentation. An episode explains the forces acting on the droplet and how those forces change as it...